1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to route information input apparatus and method thereof and, more particularly, is directed to an information input apparatus and method thereof utilized to designate a route in a model represented by a railroad network for trains, a road network, a piping plant water flow sheet or the like in which a plurality of elements are physically set in a predetermined positional relationship or in a connection relationship and in a model such as a circulation route of circulares in an organization chart of enterprise in which a plurality of elements are logically set in a predetermined connection relationship.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one of information input apparatus for specifying a route from a starting point (entraining station) to a terminal (arrival station), there is known an information input system in which a route diagram formed by a combination of positional informations of stations (nodes) and a line segment (arc) information connecting the nodes is displayed on a screen, for example, in a two-dimensional fashion (i.e., in an XY matrix form) and the operator can sequentially select an arbitrary objective on the route diagram displayed on the screen by a pointing device.
The above system can provide a circumstance that the route diagram that was grasped as a model indicative of a physical positional relationship among a plurality of nodes is presented on the display screen and the operator can input all informations necessary to specify a route by selecting a station mark or a line mark within a displayed line diagram without consulting a train schedule or map prepared independently. This conventional system, however, poses a problem such that, if a large amount of route informations are displayed on a limited display area within the display screen such as when a line diagram of a region in which a plurality of lines are connected complicatedly or line diagram including a plurality of lines, each having a number of stations is displayed, then the route diagram displayed on the screen becomes complicated so that the operator cannot search and select an objective substantially.